Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Sutcliffe: Greater Sudbury should be in the Red Zone:
By the numbers alone, Greater Sudbury would be in the Red Zone right now, having had 85 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the service area in the past seven days, with 32 of these cases reported in one day alone. Furthermore, Public Health Sudbury and Districts is advising that 28 COVID-19 cases have either screened positive or been confirmed for the more transmissible virus mutations, called variants of concern (VOC). “It’s an assessment on a weekly basis by the provincial medical officer of health that then makes recommendations to the provincial cabinet,” said Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, medical officer of health with Public Health Sudbury and Districts, during a virtual press conference Tuesday afternoon. “We are in the Orange Zone currently, which is determined by the number of cases, outbreaks, as well as the capacity of the health care and the public health system. We will have to see how this evolves in the next few days through consultations with Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.” Typically, announcements about moving jurisdictions from one zone to another are made on a Friday for the following Monday, she said. “I will absolutely be having an opportunity to engage with the chief medical officer of health to get a feel for the situation here and what concerns they might have,” she said. Full story here.
Public Health Sudbury declares COVID-19 outbreak at Lo-Ellen Secondary:
Public Health Sudbury & Districts has declared a COVID-19 outbreak in Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School (Rainbow District School Board) in Greater Sudbury after one additional individual tested positive for the virus. This brings the total cases at the school to three, one of which has screened positive for variants of concern. Public Health has not dismissed the entire school; however, as directed by the School Board, the school will remain closed up to and including March 5. Parents and caregivers are being provided notice of the outbreak and will receive public health guidance. Public Health is working closely with Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School and school board administrators at Rainbow District School Board to monitor the outbreak, further limit the spread of infection, and ensure ongoing measures are maintained to protect students and employees. In accordance with provincial guidance, an outbreak in a school setting is declared when two or more laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 are linked and occur within 14 days of each other, and at least one case could have acquired their infection in the school. The individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 are currently self-isolating and being monitored by Public Health Sudbury & Districts while the investigation continues.
Sudbury man says his Quarantine Act fine is wrong, and legislation seems to back him up:
A Sudbury man who works on contract in the United States as a hydro lineman said he has every intention to fight the $3,000 Provincial Offences Act ticket he was given last week for violating the Quarantine Act. Michael Bedard of Val Caron was given the ticket by Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) for allegedly breaching the Canada Quarantine Act, after checking himself out of the Toronto hotel where he had been placed for mandatory isolation after arriving home in Canada from his job in California. Bedard believes he was targetted unfairly by the Public Health Agency of Canada and fined unjustly. He told Sudbury.com that, as far as he understands the legislation, his job as a lineman is considered an essential service, which should have exempted him from being quarantined. What’s more, Bedard, who is battling cancer, was returning to Canada for a necessary medical appointment, which the legislation also states exempts him from the quarantine requirement. Find the full story here.
Finance committee approves $65M GSPS budget as Bigger raises concerns over contributing to new police headquarters:
The Greater Sudbury Police Services' $65.7 million budget was a focal point of Tuesday's discussion at the finance and administration committee meeting. March 2 was the second night of budget finalization discussions for the city's finance committee, and a number of resolutions were passed to approve the budgets of the city's partners. Among those partners is the Greater Sudbury Police Service, who have by far the largest budget of the city's partners. The finance committee approved the city's share of the tax support budget for the GSPS 2021 budget in the gross expenditure amount of $71,627,707 and a net property tax levy requirement of $65,726,611. Mayor Brian Bigger spoke up against the resolution, singling out one point of contention - the city's annual contribution for a future police headquarters. The city has contributed an increasing amount to the police budget for a future headquarters since 2018, contributing $600,000 that year, $900,000 in 2019 and $1.4 million in 2020. The amount will increase until it hits $3.4 million in 2024. "If we were to follow that schedule there would be contributions of about $13.5 million into the reserve," said Bigger. "From council's perspective, that reserve would be dedicated to a police headquarters." However, no decision has been made on the future GSPS headquarters and Bigger raised the point that the money could be better invested into projects that are already on the table, where the city would see a return on its investment. See more on this story here.
Here’s the current schedule for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in the region:
Another mass vaccination clinic will take place in Sudbury this week as Public Health Sudbury and District (PHSD) continues to provide COVID-19 vaccines to as many residents as possible. PHSD held its first mass vaccination clinic last week for roughly 2,500 health-care workers and essential caregivers connected with long-term care homes and retirement homes. It took place at the Carmichael Arena on Bancroft Drive on Thursday and Friday. As we turned the corner on March 1 this week, it was revealed that PHSD will be holding another mass vaccination event; this time for urban Indigenous people in Sudbury, aged 55 and older on March 5 and March 6, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. It will also take place at Carmichael Arena. The event is jointly hosted by the Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre in partnership with Public Health Sudbury & Districts (PHSD) and the City of Greater Sudbury, along with the support of the Ngo Dwe Waanzizjik – The Urban Indigenous Sacred Circle and the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council. More on this story here.
Public Health Sudbury reports one death, 12 new COVID-19 cases for March 2:
The Sudbury health unit reported one new COVID-19-related death Tuesday, as well as 12 new cases of COVID-19 in the area. The 12 cases are a drop from the 32-case count reported on Monday. As of March 2, 14 people in the region have died from COVID-19. Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said there are now 98 cases being actively monitored. Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, there have been 680 total COVID-19 cases reported to the Sudbury health unit. PHSD said 582 of those cases have been resolved locally. In terms of where the new cases occurred, the PHSD daily update page reported that 12 cases were found to have occurred within the Greater Sudbury area. On the provincial COVID-19 roster Tuesday, the Ontario government daily website reported there were 966 new confirmed COVID-19 cases across the province. Also, the province reported 11 new deaths on March 2.
The white crosses memorial downtown is having unintended side effects, outreach workers say:
One of the most common words to describe the white crosses that line Paris Street is ‘haunting’. The crosses mark not only the names of those lost to the opioid crisis, but also the eternal grief of their loved ones. Sadly, the crosses haunt another group of people, too, but for different reasons: those vulnerable and marginalized populations of downtown Sudbury that are fighting with every breath to avoid the same fate for themselves; those who have no home but the streets of the downtown core, where well-intentioned families trapped in understandable grief have created a cemetery in their backyard. Each day and night, as the outreach workers of Sudbury head out on their rounds in downtown Sudbury, there is an overwhelming feeling that sits upon all of them — both volunteer and vulnerable people alike — that clings to them like tentacles and dominates their every thought and action. It is hopelessness. For those already facing a mountain of struggles — lack of housing, addictions, mental health challenges — the crosses that are a comfort to families are not a comfort to the people actually facing those struggles, say those who work with the vulnerable populations of the downtown core. The graveyard on the corner of Paris Street and Brady Street, near Sudbury Theatre Centre, started as one woman’s memorial for her son. Then, it grew to include others who had recently lost their battle with addiction. Then, crosses began to appear for those who died of addiction at some point in the past. Then, crosses were erected for people who died outside Sudbury. It’s unclear what sort of fact-checking occurs before a cross is erected at the site, but Sudbury.com was told about two people who were wandering through the graveyard only to find their own graves. Get the full story here.
Wednesday Weather:
Mostly cloudy today with a 40 per cent chance of flurries in the morning. Wednesday's high will be hovering right around zero. Overcast into the evening with skies clearing overnight. Low will drop all the way to -18, feeling like -25 with the wind chill. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
